CEDILLO 3 — Spain

CEDILLO 3 is a 500 MW hydro power station in Extremadura, Spain. It is operated by IBERDROLA GENERACION S.A.. Based on reported annual generation of 294 GWh, it can supply roughly 84k homes. It ranks #60 of 899 Spain power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1976, it is around 50 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 11.4% of Spain's electricity; the national grid averages 154 gCO₂/kWh (74.6% low-carbon) (2025).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1006324.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000604104; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 500 MW, CEDILLO 3 is well above the median hydro plant in Spain (55.2 MW). Technically it is described as conventional storage. Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Key facts

Load factor

7%, from 294 GWh of reported generation, in line with the 7% median for 11 hydro plants in Spain

Generation trend

329 GWh in 2015 and 294 GWh in 2017 (−11%)

Highest and lowest year

2016: 604 GWh; 2017: 294 GWh

Share of Spain hydro capacity

3.2% of 15,680 MW across 124 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

81 of 116 dated hydro plants in Spain are older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Reported generation trend

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by IBERDROLA GENERACION S.A.. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 39.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Monthly mean temperature

Heating degree-days here run 47% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 31/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #7 largest hydro power plant of 124 in Spain by capacity.

Spain has 124 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 15,680 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Termoeléctrica Centroliva · Biomass · 6 MW · Portalegre
• Termoeléctrica de Ródão · Biomass · 13 MW · Portalegre
• Cogeração Celtejo · Biomass · 30 MW · Portalegre
• Enerfer I · Wind · 8 MW · Castelo Branco
• Bruceira · Hydro · 1.6 MW · Portalegre
• Velada · Hydro · 1.9 MW · Portalegre

Location

Coordinates 39.6643, -7.5332 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions